greek baked pasta

BEST Greek pastitsio recipe. Delectable and flavor-packed baked pasta with Greek-spiced meat sauce and a "lightened up" golden bechamel topping. A must-try!

Greek Pastitsio Recipe 

Penne pasta

Salt

Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil

tbsp grated Parmesan

tbsp Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil

yellow onion, chopped

lb beef

garlic cloves,

red wine

oz canned crushed tomatoes

bay leaves

allspice

tsp cinnamon

nutmeg

sugar

olive oil

all-purpose flour

tsp salt, more if you like

2% milk, warmed

eggs

Cook the pasta to al dante according to package instructions. Be sure to add salt and olive oil to the boiling water. Drain and transfer pasta to 9 1/2" x 13" baking pan like this one. While still hot, drizzle pasta with a little more extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle grated Parmesan. Toss to combine. Set aside for now.

Make the meat sauce. In a large pan or skillet like this one, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Saute onions until just golden, then add lean beef and garlic. Season with salt.  Cook until meat is fully browned, tossing regularly and breaking up the meat with your wooden spoon (about 8 to 10 minutes). Carefully drain any excess liquid and return pan to heat. Add wine, crushed tomato, bay leaves, spices and pinch of sugar. Mix to combine. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then lower heat and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or so. Taste and adjust salt to your liking.

While the meat sauce is cooking, prepare the bechamel. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook until golden (if needed, added a little more olive oil). Gradually add the warmed milk, whisking continuously. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and thick. Add nutmeg.

In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of the hot bechamel mixture with the 2 eggs in a small bowl. Then return all to the pan with the remaining bechamel mixture. Continue to stir or whisk the mixture bringing to a gentle boil for just 2 more minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken a little more (you should have a creamy, thick and smooth bechamel sauce).

Assemble the pastitsio. Top the cooked pasta with the meat sauce; smooth with a wooden spoon to fully cover the pasta. Now top the meat sauce with the bechamel topping. Again, smooth with your wooden spoon to cover the meat sauce evenly.

Bake the pastitsio in 350 degrees F heated-oven for 1 hour until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into square pieces and serve.

I made this for dinner last night and it was very appreciated by the whole family. I served it with a Greek Salad. Will for sure make it again.

I love this yummy pasta dish! It's got great flavor to make it different (and something new!) from Italian-style pasta dishes!

The best comfort food! My whole family loved it.

Oh my this was freaking delicious! At first I wasn't too sure of the spice mix (allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg) but after my first bite I knew this one is going to be a regular in this house. Thanks Suzy for sharing!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/odXu3V1s.mp4

How to make Greek Pastitsio. Comforting Greek pasta casserole with perfectly spiced meat sauce and a lighter bechamel topping

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Greek Pastitsio Recipe

Top 1 greek baked pasta recipes from across the web

The most viewed greek baked pasta recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Greek Pastitsio Recipe

The most viewed greek baked pasta recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine